With the economic recession hanging like a dark cloud, it is inevitable to see homeowners scrimping on their household expenses. Even with that fact in mind, landscaping services should not be discounted. It is an essential household expense that will have significant returns in the future.
1. Landscaping increases your home's value. Especially if you have future plans to put your home on the real-estate market, landscaping is the type of investment that grows over time - literally and figuratively speaking. Yes, the interiors, the overall layout and the design of your home significantly impact your property's value, but it can easily go out of style and add to that the inevitable wear and tear. Trees, shrubs, healthy beds of grass and flowers, on the other hand, grow fuller and brighter as the years go by. Several researchers have found that homes with great landscaping had more edge and price advantages than homes with no landscaping at all.
2. Improves your home's appearance. The first thing that guests, neighbors and ordinary passersby notice is the exterior of your home. A home that has manicured lawns and well-fenced gardens warrants a second look. If you are living in rather highly urbanized neighborhoods such as in Bellevue, Redmond and Seattle, landscaping should be your top priority. It makes your home inviting and appropriate for receiving guests. Granted if you are the kind of homeowner who loves having family and friends over to your house, your recent improvements in your garden or in yard can be a good conversation starter. At the end of the day, a home that looks great on the outside is one that you will always be proud to come home to.
3. Landscaping can cool your home's environment. More than the aesthetics, investing on smart landscaping significantly allows you to cool your home especially during the months of summer. Having trees in your own yard will give your home a natural shade from the sun. You can grow vines, trellises and shrubs also to cool down your walls. With its combined shading features and capacities, you can help slow down the heat exchange coming from the outside.
Ask your landscaper about the different plant species that offer the best cooling and energy efficiency system for your home. Plot these plant species in areas of your house that receive the most sunlight. Since the heat exchange follows the pattern of conduction especially for homes with dark roofs, glass window panes and glass doors, a well-tended landscape with strategically plotted plant species can significantly help cool your outside surfaces. You might end up using your air conditioner less often because you have a healthy and well-tended landscape to cushion the outdoor temperatures for you. If you live in areas where the weather conditions do not reach polarizing degrees such as in Seattle, landscaping can even improve the general climate inside your home.
4. It can help reduce crime. A study made in 2010 by the College of Environment of the University of Washington stated that minor crimes such as vandalism, graffiti and littering tend to occur less in greener areas of a city. Landscaped environments do not provide cover for criminal activity. After all, landscaping is not strictly confined to the flora and fauna. It also includes the installation of fences and outdoor lighting that breeds vigilance and caution in neighborhoods. Second, the effects of a green environment can positively impact and improve mental and physical health of its dwellers and neighbors. A fresh breeze is healthy, and a healthy disposition can influence moods and overall physical constitution.
Landscaping is not all about image and the vanity of homeownership. Investing on smart landscaping transcends from the aesthetic and into the wellness of life and the improvement of the environment.